Helper needle



March 1, 1949. c, FUITLER 2,463,258

HELPER NEEDLE Filed Jan. 19, 1948 s Sheets-Sheet l FZ J' [113.6

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c. E. FULLER 2,4633% HELPER NEEDLE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 1, 1949.

Filed Jan. 19, 1948 Knit? Thread .EahaLc INVENTOR. C/m/es E. Fu/ler BY M I Afiorney 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENIOR.

. F u 2 Zen Charles E C. E. FULLER HELPER NEEDLE March 1, 1949.

Filed Jan. 19, -194a Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNI TED STATES IPATIENT OF F ICE HELPER NEEDLE Charles E. Fuller, Portland,;() reg.

Application January 19, 1948, S.erialcNo.,,2,989

12 Claims.

My present invention relates to knitting machines and is directed tothe production of knitted fabrics of any type whatsoever, whether plain or incorporating fancy designs such as would be produced by varyingthe sequence of knit and tuck stitches or by the useof various colored threads knitted and tucked to form designs, or otherwise incorporated in ,a fabric.

Theinvention is of particular utility in a machine of the type disclosed in the patent to Adler et al., No. 1,662,627, datedMarch 13. 1928, to which references may be made for complete details of an operative machine, only so much of the machine as is necessary to an understanding of the present invention being herein disclosed.

This application is a continuation in part of my abandoned application Serial No. 718,070, filed December 23, 1946.

Modern methods, of producing knitted fabrics are quite varied and complicated, but it is common to have the fabrics produced by the co-action of a plurality of needles with other mechanism, particularly needles of the latched hook type-which are so arranged as to be selectable by the use of a pattern controlling device such as a jacquard selector. In such a machine a pattern comprising holes punched. onto a continuous strip is fed longitudinally in timed relation to the revolution of a cam carrier about a stationary throat upon which needles and needle jacks are mounted, the holes punched in the pattern strip being operative to select various needles to perform certain operations. The pattern produced by the needles is thus endlessly repeated in a continuous sleeve of knitted fabric which isdrawn down into the throat of the knitting machine. The present invention comprises means whereby the pattern isformed perfectly, even though long, unsecured sections of yarn or thread may extend over the inner or reverse side of the fabric.

A further principal object of. the present invention is to assure the forming. of perfect fabrics whether plain or fancy, this object being achieved by means to prevent. dropping of stitches of any type whether knit, tucked ,or .otherwise.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means, for preventing the dropping of stitches in.,a .knittingmachine while assuring evenness of formation of all of thestitches so that a more perfect knit fabric may beachieved.

The present invention is .ofparticular utility in the formation of jersey, in which a .very fine thread is knit intolav thin fabric by the use of very small knitting needles. .Such small .needles ope at n upon sushi-fin threada ldifiicult t control exactly, inasmuch as the slightest irregularities'in the needles or in the thread have=far greater harmful effects than would be the-case with regard to irregularities in the production of coarser goods. The present invention is of utility in a knitting machine for producing coarser goods, but its greatest utility is in the production of jersey or the like.

A further object of the present invention is'to provide a helper needle which may be applied to any .of several commonly encountered knitting machines for assuring the formation of perfect stitches thereby.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily ascertained from inspection of the .following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, while the features of novelty will be. more. distinctly Pointed outi in'. the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a helper needle of the present invention in the, position it-assurnes when incorporated in a circular ja u knit in ma hin Fig. 2 is a view of the knitting needle taken from the plane of the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 -a;nd looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a knitting needle of standard type in the position it assumes in us e; in the machine; a

Fig. 4 is a front view of the knitting needletaken from the plane of the line ie-.4 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

.Fig. 5 is a partialview in section through the throat of a circular knitting machine showing a vneedle in onestage of formationof a knitstitch;

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing a succeeding step in the formation of a knit stitch;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 butshowing H one stage of the formation of a tuck stitch;

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing a succeeding stage in the formation of atuck stitch;

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing the ommencement of the formation of a tuck stitch aided by the helper needle of the present invention;

Figs. 10 to l linclusive are succeeding; stages in the functioning of the present invention; Figs. 9 to 14 inclusive being taken substantially along the lines indicated in Fig. 15;

Fig. 15 is a schematic front elevationof a section of a circular knitting machine, taken substantially along line l5.l5 of Fig. 16, showing the knitting needles and helper needles in succeedingstages .of operation, the needles being drawn to illustrate succeeding stages in the formation of tuck stitches;

Fig. 16 is a schematic plan view of a portion of a circular knitting machine looking down upon the succeeding stages illustrated in Fig. 15;

Fig. 1'7 is a bottom plan view of a segment of the helper needle cam plate; and

Fig. 18 is a vertical section, partly schematic in nature, through a knitting machine of the type disclosed in the patent to Adler et al., No. 1,662,627, and having the present invention incorporated therein.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have illustrated the helper needle of the present invention, the same comprising an elongated member, generally indicated by the numeral l0, having a body or jack portion II and a needle portion integral therewith. The body portion is preferably of considerable depth so that it may be retained in a vertical slot in which'it may be moved longitudinally without rotation about its longitudinal axis. Projecting upwardly from the body portion II there is provided a butt l2 adapted to engage with needle operating mechanism as will be disclosed. The I forward end of the body portion II is recessed downwardly at its upper edge to provide a shoulder l3 from which projects a short section M of gradually reduced depth. The portion [4 is succeeded by a cylindrical portion l5 which forms the shank of the hook or working end of the helper needle, this shank preferably being of uniform circular cross section so that pressure applied downwardly along the upper surface of the portion l5 while the body II is held against vertical movement will cause the working end of the helper needle to flex downwardly. The material of which the needle is formed is flexible and resilient, being of a high grade quality of spring steel or the like so that continual fiexure thereof will not materially alter the shape of the needle.

The portion I5 is joined by an intermediate portion 1'6, preferably of progressively decreasing diameter which is bent downwardly at substantially right angles to the portion l5. The portion i6 is succeeded by a portion 11 which is preferably of progressively reduced diameter and which is bent sharply back at an angle of substantially 45 degrees at the point l8, theportion ll extending to a point about midway between the extremities of the portion I6. The portion H is succeeded by a portion l9, preferably of progressively decreasing diameter, the portion I9 being bent outwardly and downwardly from the point 20 to a point 2| slightly below the point it, and then horizontally rearward to an extremity 22 slightly spaced therefrom. The portions [9 or the portions I1 and 19 may flex upwardly when pressure is applied at the points 2| or 22, as permitted by the resiliency of the material.

It is to be appreciated that the illustration in Figs. 1 and 2 is greatly magnified for a needle adapted to form jersey. For example, in the formation of 24 gauge jersey, the entire overall length of the needle is approximately 2.375 inches and its maximum width is .0350 inch. The diameter of the needle at the union of sections I4 and i5 is .0350 inch, and the diameter of the needle at the point 22 is .0156 inch. The needle when used in the formation of larger gauge fabric would, of course, be larger, and in the formation stantially the size illustrated or even larger, and

it could be smaller than the example given for finer gauge materials.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have illustrated a knitting needle adapted to form stitches in cooperation with the helper needle illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The knitting needle comprises a body 25 which is adapted to be retained in a vertical position and moved vertically by means of a butt 26 engagea-ble with suitable needle operating mechanism in the machine. The lower end of the needle is bent back upon itself to form a body of considerable depth for the purpose of guiding the needle and cooperating with the needle selecting mechanism. The upper end of the needle is reduced at a point 21 to form a shank 23 from which extends a hook 29. The shank portion 28 is slotted to receive the lower end of a needle latch 30 retained in position by a pivot pin 3|.

In the formation of fabric by a knitting needle of the type disclosed in Figs. 3 and 4, various stitches may be produced as illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8 inclusive. In these figures the needle is shown at various points of elevation with respect to the throat portion 35 of a knitting machine, the throat portion having an inwardly and downwardly sloping inner surface 38 and an outer vertical surface provided with a plurality of vertical slots 31 of such width as to receive and guide the knitting needles with the points of their hooks facing outwardly.

In the formation of, a knit stitch the hooks at one stage of operation are elevated to a point designated by the line marked knit and in succeeding stages recede to a point adjacentthe lip of the throat of the machine. In the formation of tuck stitches as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 the needles are elevated to an intermediate point, indicated by the line marked tuck. When a knit stitch is being formed the needle is elevated to the knit line and then starts to come down, being raised to such an extentthat the previously formed loop 40 passes below the tip of the latch 30 and is retained about the shank '28. On the descent of the needle the latch is raised as illustrated in Fig. 6 so that the formed loop 40 will pass over the top of thehook 28 and form a loop in the newly laid thread M which has been engaged by the hook 29 and drawn down through the loop 40. In the formation of tuck stitches the needle is raised only to the tuck line so that the previously formed loopdll does not clear the tip of the latch 30, and upon lowering of the needle the loop All will join the newly laid thread 4! within the hook 29, as seen in Fig. 8. If the needle is only raised to a point at or slightly below the thread line, the new thread will not be engaged, as would be the case in fabrics formed of a plurality of colors in which the color beingomitted from the stitch design at the instant will underlie the formed fabric from point to point. When such a thread is omitted from the stitches it is desirable from'time to time to tuck it into the fabric soas to avoid the formation of a fabric having 'long loose strands at the reverse side thereof. In such case a needle might be retained in a position adjacent the lip of the throat 35 to avoid several stitchforming operations and then would be raised to tuck the thread into the fabric. The jacquard strips or cards, as the case may be, select those needles which are to perform knitting operations, those which are to perform tucking operations and skips those which are to be inactive.

Whenever aneedle is selected for an operation of any type there is always the chance that a formed loop 4|! which is supposed to pass over the hook 29'and join the formed fabric being passed down along the inner surface 36 of the threat, will not pass over the hook, so that a stitch will be dropped or at least a color will appear where it is not supposed to appear. The helper needle of the present invention is designed to prevent such an accident and to assure the formation of perfect stitches regardless .Of their nature. To this end the helper needles are mounted in a machine so as to be adjacent the knitting needles and cooperate therewith, the helper needles lying in a horizontal plane with their working tips closely adjacent the working portions of the knitting needles.

As schematically illustrated in Figs. and 16 the circular knitting machine, comprising a throat portion 35 having an inner surface 36 and a plurality of vertical slots 37 in its outer face, I

is provided with a pluralit of knitting needles vertically retained and vertically shiftable within the slots 31. Each one of the needles normally remains in a lowered position with its hook 29 slightly above the edge of the throat portion, until the needle is raised by a selector mechanism. Of course, the needle could normally remain in any other position, provided the selector mechanism is caused to position it at one of three positions before the thread is brought close, these three positions being such that the needle will form a knit stitch or a tuck stitch, or will not operate at all. The selection of the needles and the operations they are to perform is accomplished through the medium of selector mechanism exemplified by horizontally disposed jack levers 45 and jacks 56 which engage the knitting needles, engagement thereof being controlled by a jacquard mechanism as fully detailed in the aforementioned Patent No. 1,662 627, or by other similar suitable mechanism, many of which are well known to the art.

As the thread is moved past a given point those needles which have been raised to thread engagement position will successively engage the newly laid thread 4| which is fed thereto through a thread guide d6 held in position in front of and above the throat of the knitting machine. Those needles which have been raised either to knit or tuck elevation will be lowered as the thread approaches a point such that the thread extending from the thread guide 46 to the previously formed loops 46 will be engaged by the hooks 29 as the hooks pass the thread line. The needles which engage the thread will then pass downward to a point adjacent the throat of the machine to form the succeeding loops, and are substantially immediately raised to a position below the thread line, but at such an elevation that the loops which are to be dropped from the needle should have passed about the top of the hook portion 2?.

Figs. 9 to 14 inclusive illustrate the successive stages in the stitch forming operation, the needle in each case being illustrated in the act of forming a tuck stitch. It is to be appreciated that the needle could perform the knitting operation according to the procedure explained with regard to Figs. 5 and 6, but that the illustration thereof in full detail is thought unnecessary for a complete understanding of the present invention. The illustrations show successive steps in a machine having the thread guide 45 and helper needle presser cam 5| revolving counterclockwise about a stationary throat.

As seen in Fig. 9 a needle has been selected to form a tuck stitch, the tip of the hook being at or near the tuck line as the thread guide 46 passes. Needle operating mechanism fully illustrated "in the aforementioned Patent No. 1,662,627 immediately begins to lower the needle and to thereafter raise the needle as shown in the succeeding illustrations. In Fig, 9 it will be seen that the thread 4| is beyond'a vertical plane through the front tip of the hook 29 and that the previously formed loop 40 will be retained on the needle because it has not passed beyond the tip of the latch 30. At this point the adjacent helper needle lfl commences to move rearwardly as controlled by a cam track 58 formed in the under surface of a plate for retaining and guiding the butts of the helper needles. There is one such helper needle provided between every pair of knitting needles, the helper needles extending radially outward above the throat of the machine. The butts 12 are embraced within the cam track 5|! so as to force the needles inward .or outward as the contour of the cam slot 5,!) directs, the cam slot being continuous so that the helper needles are at all times retained in proper radial projection. The greater part of the helper needles arranged about the machine are held so that the tips thereof are substantially adjacent the hook points of the knitting needles but, of course, the helper needles could be retained at any other position provided they were in readiness to perform succeeding e s- The helper needles are so positioned that throughout the greater part of the travel of the thread guide about the circumference of the machine, the portions l5 lie in a plane such that the tips 22 are slightly above the fabric line or the lip of the throat 35.

In Fig. 10 it is seen that the hook 29 has en-' gaged the thread All, at which point the helper needle is to the rear of the knitting needle. In the position of Fig. 11 the cam track 50 has moved the helper needle forward until the forward tip thereof has passed beyond the hook points of the knitting needles. at the position illustrated in Fig. 12 the portion i5 is engaged by the lower surface of a presser cam 5| revolving with the thread guide and overlying the portions IS, the cam surface being directed downwardly and horizontally. The portions l5 are thereby flexed downwardly by the bending thereof as directed by the cam 5|. The knitting needle at this stage is at its lowest point, with (in the formation of tuck stitch) the loop 40 and the newly laid thread 4| both engaged in the hook 29. The cam 5 forces the point of the helper needle downwardly below the vedge of the throat into engagement with the fabric draped over the surface 36, the resiliency of the tip permitting the point 22 to flex upwardly if necessary.

At the positionof Fig. 13, the knitting needle commences to rise and the loop 40 and the newly laid thread 4| are engaged in and held downwardly by the helper needle nib formed by the portions I1 and i9. At the same time the helper needle is moving toward the rear so that the portion H is forcing the loops to be pressed back against the rear surface of the hook. If the needle were forming a knit stitch the loop 40 at this stage would be passing around the upper surface of the top of the hook 29 and would then be forced downwardly around the rear surface of the hook.

At the position of Fig. 14 the knitting needle is raised to a point below the thread line but sh e the bris ne a d ma ns t e i readiet Q it n t s ect on i h the for ed loops engaged by the needle, and the working portions of the helper needle spring upwardly to the position originally illustrated in Fig. 9.

I have thus provided means for assuring the formation of perfect stitches by pressing downwardly and rearwardly upon the loops of the thread before and during the time the knitting needle rises sufliciently to clear the fabric line, the loops being thus drawn taut and the loops which are to pass from the needle being forced downwardly and rearwardly behind the needle. Immediately thereafter the helper needle springs upward to clear the fabric and await its next operating cycle.

Fig. 14 also illustrates an important function of the present invention, in that the newly laid thread extending from the hook of a partially raised knitting needle in the act of forming a tuck stitch is illustrated as being held rearwardly by the nib of the helper needle. It is to be appreciated that the thread 4| is thus drawn back by the two helper needles at the opposite sides of the knitting needle. This is particularly important in the case of a thread portion which has not been engaged in the fabric for several stitches. Assuming that the thread is to be omitted from the pattern for seven stitches, it is desirable to tuck it into the fabric at least once, say at the fourth stitch, in order to avoid long loose threads on the reverse side of the fabric. This means that at least three stitch lengths of thread rest behind the knitting needles, but the thread is retained in the nibs of the helper needles and remains under tension and in the proper place. If it were not for the helper needles it might fail to cast oif, or become fouled by other needles, or otherwise form an imperfection in the goods.

Figs. 17 and 18 illustrate enough of a machine for full comprehension of the action of the present invention. In these figures a stationary throat 35 having a downwardly inclined lip 36 is supported in a vertical position and an annular support 53 is arranged to revolve about the throat. The throat is provided with vertical grooves in its outer surface in which a plurality of knitting needles are maintained, with the bodies 25 thereof being guided in the grooves and the hooks 29 and latches 36 thereof extending upward into operative position, each of the needles having its butt 26 extending radially outward. The inner surface of the revolving portion 53 supports cams such as a cam 54 adapted to engage the butts 26 to position the needles at the various levels required to perform the stitch-forming operations. Selection of the needles is accomplished by needle lifting jacks 55 guided in extensions of the grooves below the ends of the needles. The jacks may be raised from the position illustrated by jack levers 45 when and to the extent determined by the selector mechanism. The selector mechanism comprises a slotted drum 60 revolving in timed relation to the revolution of the portion 53, the motion thereof being derived by means (not shown) interconnected with the gear 6| engaging gear teeth on the outer portion of the revolving part 53. An endless pattern strip 62 passes about the surface of the drum and is engaged by feelers 63 mounted in the ends of selector bars 64 extending inwardly over the outer ends of the jack levers 45. The feelers 63 comprise rigid, vertically movable rods maintained in guides formed in the ends of the selector bars and urged downwardly by springs 65. If a hole in the pattern strip passes beneath a feeler 53 it will be moved downwardly by spring 65 into a slot in the drum 60. The drum will therefore move the connected selector bar 64 inwardly until a hook in its inner end will engage beneath a cam 66 carried by the revolving part 53. The cam 66 will depress the bar 64 and rock the jack lever 45 to elevate the selecting jack which will cause the selected needle to be engaged by the cam 54 and move to the selected position. As soon as cam 66 releases the bar 64 it is returned to its normal position by a spring 61.

A plurality of standards 16 rise upwardly from the revolving part 53 and support a spider including radial arms 1| extending outwardly from a journal 12 in which is supported a vertical shaft 13 extending coaxially of the throat 35 and interconnected by means (not shown) with the gear GI and drum 60. The shaft 13 is fixed to a rotating part 15 which is maintained in'position between a collar 76 on the shaftand a stationary support ll held from dropping off the lower end of the shaft 13 by a flange. The support 11 is maintained in a stationary position by a plurality of tension buttons 18 mounted on brackets beneath the support and extending alongside of reversed tension buttons 19 mounted on the inner surface of the throat 35. The fabric which is drawn downwardly past the sloping surface 36 is able to slide between the buttons 18 and 19.

The rotating part 15 supports a plurality of segments 80 forming cam means, each of which has a portion of the cam track 50 formed therein, the cam track 50 being thus maintained in position to engage the portion l2 of the helper needles Ill. The helper needles ID are maintained in horizontal, radially extending slots in the support 11 and are prevented from tipping therefrom by the depending ribs 8| defining the cam track 56. The slots in the support 11 have in- -creased depth at their outer ends to permit portions of the helper needles I0 to be depressed by cam 5|. A slotted plate 85 is mounted at the outer edge of one of the segments 80 in position to adjustably receive a bracket 86 upon which the presser cam 5| is mounted. A similar support (not shown) is provided for the thread guide 46.

Having illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the same may assume various modifications in detail and arrangement, that various forms, of stitches or fabrics may be formed in a machine utilizing my present invention, and that the present invention may be incorporated in various forms of knitting machines other than the one illustrated. All such modifications in detail and arrangement, and association of the invention in its position of use, as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims are considered to be a part of my invention.

I claim:

l. A helper needle for a knitting machine comprising a body, a resilient shank extending therefrom, an intermediate portion extending substantially normal to said shank, a second intermediate portion extending at an acute angle to said intermediate portion and back toward said shank, a tip portion extending at an obtuse angle to said second intermediate portion and away from said shank, the successive shank, intermediate portions and tip portion being progressively reduced in diameter and lying substantially in the same plane, said second intermediate portion and said tip portion forming a 9, nib therebetween', and a butt extending from said body in a direction opposite to the direction of said first intermediate portion and lying in sub stantially the same plane therewith,

2. A helper needle for a knitting machine comprising an elongated rigid body, a resilient shank extending therefrom, an intermediate portion extending from said shank, a second intermediate portion extending at an angle to said intermediate portion and back toward said shank, and a tip portion extending at an angle therefrom, the successive shank, intermediate portions and tip portion being progressively reduced in diameter and lying substantlallyin the same plane.

3. A helper needle for a knitting machine comprising an elongated rigid body, a shank extending therefrom,an intermediate portion extending substantially ncirmal to said shank, a second intermediate portion extending at an acute angle to said intermediate portion and back toward said shank, and a tip portion, the successive shank, intermediate portions and tip portion being pro gressively reduced in diameter and resilient.

4. A helper needle for a knitting machine comprising an elongated rigid body v formed of a metallic material, an integral shank extending longitudinally therefrom, an intermediate por-' tion extending substantially normal to said shank, a second intermediate portion extending at an acute angle to said intermediate portion and back toward said shank, and a tip portion, the successive intermediate portions and tip portion lying substantially in the same plane.

5. A helper needle for a knitting machine comprising an elongated rigid body, a shank extend ing longitudinally therefrom, an intermediate portion extending substantially normal to said shank, a second intermediate portion extending at an acuteangle to said intermediate poition and back toward said shank, a tip portion extending fromsaidsecond intermediate portions, said shank, intermediate portions and tip portions being progressively reduced in diameter and lying substantially in the same plane; and a butt extending from said body.

6. A knitting machine comprising a throat, a plurality of helper needles lying in a substantially horizontal plane and extending radially above the throat, each of said helper needles comprising a butt extending vertically upward from said helper needle, cam means revolving about the axis f the throat and engaging said butts to reciprocate said helper needles longitudinally, each of said helper needles including a resilient operating end adjacent the lip of said throat, and a moving cam positioned above said throat and engageable with said resilient operating ends,

7. In a knitting machine of the type having a plurality of vertically reciprocating needles mounted in vertical slots in a stationary throat, a plurality of helper needles lying in a substantially horizontal plane and extending radially of the throat so as to lie along radii between adjacent knitting needles, a butt extending from each of said helper needles, cam means extending about the knitting machine and engaging said butts to reciprocate said helper needles longitudinally in timed relation to the reciprocation of said knitting needles, each of said helper needles including a resilient operating end adjacent the operating portions of said knitting needles and including a substantially horizontal shank portion, a downwardly directed first intermediate portion, an upwardly and inwardly directed second intermediate portion, and a downwardly and inwardly directed tip portion, said second intermediate portion and said tip portion forming a nib therebetween, and means to flex said shank portion downwardly comprising a moving cam so positioned that the downward flexure of said shank portion occurs before the first upward movement of an adjacent knitting needle, said tip portion being thereby forced into engagement with the loops of thread on adjacent knitting needles with the loops engaged by the nib of the downwardly forced helper needle.

8. A knitting machine comprising a plurality of vertically reciprocating knitting needles, a plurality of helper needles lying in a substantially horizontal plane and each extending along a line between adjacent knitting needles, means to reciprocate said helper needles longitudinally in timed relation to the reciprocation of said knitting needles, each of said helper needles including a resilient operating end adjacent the operating portions of said knitting needles including a substantially horizontal shank portion, a downwardly directed first intermediate portion, an upwardly and inwardly directed second intermediate portion, and a downwardly and inwardly directed tip portion, said second intermediaate portion and said tip portion forming a nib there between, means to flex said shank portion of a helperneedle downwardly during the first up ward movement of an adjacent knitting needle, said tip portion being thereby forced into engagement with the loops of thread on a rising knittingneedlewith said loops engaged by the nib of the helper needle, and means to draw said helper needle rear-wardly from between said rising knitting needles while its shank portion is held in downwardly flexed position.

9. A knitting machine comprising a plurality of vertically reciprocating knitting needles, a plurality of he'lper needles lying in a substantially horizontal plane and each extending along a line between adjacent knitting needles, means to reciprooate said helper needles longitudinally in timed relation to the reciprocation of said knitting needles, each of said helper needles including a resilient operating end adjacent the operating portions of said knitting needles including a substantially horizontal shank portion, a downwardly directed first intermediate portion, an upwardly and inwardly directed second intermediate portion, and a downwardly and inwardly directed tip portion, said second intermediate portion and said tip portion forming a nib therebetween, means to flex said shank portion downwardly before and during the first upward movement of an adjacent knitting needle, said tip portion being thereby forced into engagement with the fabric formed by the machine with the loops of thread on the rising knitting needles engaged by the nib of the helper needle.

10. A knitting machine comprising a plurality of reciprocating knitting needles, a plurality of helper needles lying in a plane normal to said knitting needles and each extending along a line between adjacent knitting needles, each of said helper needles comprising a butt, means engaging said butts to reciprocate said helper needles longitudinally in timed relation to the reciprocation of said knitting needles, each of said helper needles including a resilient operating end adjacent the operating portions of said knitting needles, and means to flex the operating end of a helper needle toward the loop of thread on an adjacent knitting needle during the first forming movement of said adjacent knitting needle, the tip portions of said helper needle being thereby forced into engagement with the fabric formed by the machine and with the loops of thread on the moving knitting needles.

11. A knitting machine comprising a plurality of vertically reciprocating knitting needles, a stationary throat carrying said knitting needles, a plurality. of helper needles each extending radially of the throat so as to lie along a radius between adjacent knitting needles, each of said helper needles comprising a butt, rotating cam means extending about the knitting machine and engaging each of said butts to reciprocate said helper needles longitudinally in timed relation to the reciprocation of said knitting needles, said helper needles each including a resilient operating end adjacent the operating portions of said knitting needles including a nib, and means to flex said operating ends comprising a cam movable with said cam means and so positioned that the flexing of each helper'needle occurs before and during movement of an adjacent knitting needle, said tip portions being thereby forced into engagement with the fabric at the mouth of the throat of the machine with the loops of thread on said knitting needles engaged by the nibs of the helper needles, said cam means being so constructed that each helper needle is drawn inwardly while being flexed by said cam.

12. A knitting machine comprising a plurality of vertically reciprocating knitting needles, 2. stationary throat carrying said knitting needles, a plurality of helper needles lying in a substantially horizontal plane, each extending radially above the throat and lying along a radius between adjacent knitting needles, each of said helper needles comprising a butt extending vertically upward, rotating cam means including a cam track extending circumferentially about the throat and engaging each of said butts to reciprocate said helper needles longitudinally in timed relation to the reciprocation of said, knitting needles, each of said helper needles including a resilient operating end adjacent the operating portions of said knitting needles including a substantially horizontal shank portion, a downwardly directed first intermediate portion, an upwardly and inwardly directed second intermediate portion, and a downwardly and inwardly directed tip portion, said second intermediate portion and said tip portion forming a nib therebetween, and means to flex the shank portions of said helper needles downwardly comprising a cam carried by said cam means and so positioned that the downward flexing of each helper needle occurs before and during the first upward movement of an adjacent knitting needle, said tip portions being thereby forced into engagement with the fabric at the mouth of the throat of the machine with the loops of thread on adjacent knitting needles engaged by the nibs of the helper needles, said cam track being so constructed that said helper needles are drawn inwardly while being held downwardly by said cam, remain with portions thereof between adjacent knitting needles for the greater part of a revolution of said cam means, are drawn rearwardly of the knitting needles during the descent of the adjacent knitting needles, and are then projected beyond the adjacent knitting needles when said knitting needles are fully lowered and said cam again approaches said helper needles.

' CHARLES E. FULLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 331,401 Huse Dec. 1, 1885 468,137 Paxton et al. Feb. 2, 1892 575,012 Sturgess Jan. 12, 1897 1,662,627 Adler et a1. Mar. 13, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 20,835 Great Britain 1894 

